Understanding Your Peugeot 3008 Suv Hill Descent Control System

The new Peugeot 3008 SUV has genuine European styling, and it is packed with useful technology. One of the most underrated features is the excellent hill descent control system. Sadly, there are some drivers that don’t understand how this works and when they should be using it. If you’re an aspiring soft or off roader, this is a technology that you will need to understand to get the best out of your Peugeot 3008. In this article, we will explain what the hill descent control system is and how it should be used correctly.

The Evolution of Hill Descent Technology

In recent years we have seen a significant rise in popularity of off road vehicles here in Australia and elsewhere in the world. Of course, we’ve had the humble Ute, but recently we have seen the rise of the SUV and now the crossover in our car market. Buyers love the idea of using their vehicle for soft roading or off roading adventures at the weekend. The car industry has responded, but this has created some interesting problems for the engineers to solve and one of these is how to safely descend a hill.

How to Descend a Hill Safely

The primary problem is getting a 4x4 or AWD vehicle down a hill safely without having access to low range gearing. A genuine low range of gears is essential to move slowly up or down a slope whilst maintaining control. Low ranging gearing is typically found on hard core military and off road vehicles rather than soft or off road recreational SUVs. This is often a question of cost; low range gearing is expensive, and a solution needed to be found to make SUVs cheaper and more attractive. The solution was a novel idea, Hill Descent Control (HDC) uses the cruise control system on the vehicle to provide low speed control on slopes.

How Does the HDC System Work?

The HDC system works by using the cruise control to gently retard the speed as you descend a slope. The system is engaged by pressing a button; the actual travelling speed is usually dictated by the paddles used to control the cruise control system. There is no need to touch the brakes, and the HDC will prevent you from wearing out your brake pads prematurely by riding them on hills.

At first, this will seem strange, the brake pedal should be covered so that you can stop if necessary. However, without touching anything, the 3008 SUV will slowly move on its own. This is a very slow forward progress, the speed will be no faster than a couple of km/h, and it’s perfect for a well controlled descent.

Of course, this is not a replacement for bad off road driving, and if you don’t take the time to learn this system, it will not be of much help. Take some time to practice on gentle slopes before attempting something more challenging.

If you’re in the market for a Peugeot 3008 new model SUV get in touch with us at Perth City Peugeot and we will be delighted to arrange a no obligation test drive for you today.